


Don't Believe The Fine Print

by orphan_account



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Emotional Support, First Kisses, Light Flirting, M/M, Mistletoe, Second Chances, begins one sided, dumb jokes, fake dating au, hand holding, kinda hurt and comfort, misunderstandings that work out, mostly fluff and cute stuff, needing a date for christmas so your family gets off your back, theres some texting in the beginning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:08:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21948583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Hajime, needing cash desperately, calls a number promising a lot of cash to attend a family dinner. Turns out, Nagito Komaeda doesn't seem too bad. Maybe this dinner will go smoother than he expected.
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito
Comments: 10
Kudos: 238





	Don't Believe The Fine Print

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this over two days with a total of five hours of sleep. Please expect nothing, but hey, at least it is written decently. I think. I dunno, I just wanted to write man I had no goal for this I'm not gonna lie to you, dear reader.

The flyer was taped right above a poster made for the cooking club. It wasn’t stamped with a school seal in the corner, which meant it wasn’t supposed to be there. It would be down by the end of the day once a faculty member or goody-two-shoes found it posted right outside the boy’s locker room and saw that it wasn’t approved of. If Hajime had to guess, it might take another hour or two because not many came down this way unless it was for a sport. Or, of course, they were like Hajime and were going to spend their lunch time outside. 

It wasn’t on one of the boards everyone looked at. It wasn’t very obvious to see either. The flyer itself didn’t stand out much, being a simple white piece of paper with black letters on it. The text wasn’t too large, but it caught Hajime’s eyes from five feet away when he scanned over the first line of words. 

‘Make 500$ in 5 Hours’

Hajime had just been looking online for a job before he saw the poster. He was sitting in class with his laptop, typing away at his assignment while other open tabs mocked him. There was some for new shoes that didn’t hurt his heels, others for coupons for food at the stores near his house, and a multitude of others. Being accepted into Hope’s Peak was a miracle, but it was a costly one. Any money he could get for helping his parents or at least making himself look like he was taking his student life seriously would be wondrous. And a hundred dollars an hour wasn’t something that was easy to pass up on. 

He walked to the flyer and read the rest of the print, only a little smaller than the title.

‘Looking for a student willing to accompany me to a family holiday dinner. Preferably male. No piercings, no tattoos, or no vulgar language. Can be picked up and dropped off. Text the number below if interested before December 18th.’

Hajime looked at the relatively short checklist. He could manage to not swear in front of a family for five hours, so he was pretty much built for the position. It required no skill or effort on his part, and it was five hundred dollars. Then again, he noted dully, he wasn’t exactly good with talking to people. He never had a girlfriend before and all the friends he’s ever had he could name on one hand. He liked to think he could talk well with adults, but there was no guarantee on that. 

The number was tempting nonetheless. It was probably the pay that was making Hajime stay standing there. With a sigh, Hajime fished out his phone and sent a quick text to the number, only wondering if that was such a good idea once he sent a simple ‘are you the one with the family dinner issue?’

As he walked away, it only then occurred to him that it was likely a fake ad. It might be just for jokes, or maybe it was written by a thirty year old man trying to fool younger people into something wicked. He shivered at the thought and headed outside. 

When he came back, he was surprised to see the flyer was gone. With furrowed eyebrows, he took out his phone to see that no one had texted him in the past twenty five minutes. A teacher probably tore it down then. Hajime frowned at the space, noticing a wad of blue gum stuck to the cork board. Gross. 

His phone beeped in his pocket. He reached in and pulled it out, noticing the number from the flyers had contacted him. During lunch, he waited patiently for a response. While waiting, he did change the number to a name, just to be sure he didn’t mistake it as spam. 

[12:38] Flyer: Yes, that’s me! Are you interested in the position?

[12:39] Hajime: It’s just a family dinner, right? 

[12:39] Flyer: That’s correct. I can pick you up from school or from your house at 2PM, December 25th. Please dress nicely.

[12:39] Hajime: Either works for me, but is it okay to meet you beforehand…? Sorry, I don’t really feel comfortable agreeing to this without like, knowing who you are? 

[12:40] Flyer: I guess that makes sense, I just assumed you were a student like me, but you could really be anyone. 

[12:40] Flyer: You are a student right? Just my luck if you aren’t. I guess I didn’t put the pages up in great places. 

[12:42] Hajime: I am a student, no worries there.

[12:42] Flyer: Oh! Great, then we can proceed.

Hajime didn’t quite like the other’s texting style. It sounded weird to him, but he didn’t have long to ponder over it before the student sent him another text.

[12:42] Flyer: We can meet at a coffee shop after school if you want. 

[12:45] Hajime: Sounds good, I’ll see you then.

The next text sent was the address to a coffee shop along with the name of it. Hajime recognized it immediately. He had been there once or twice with his friend, Kazuichi, to help tutor him in various subjects. However, Kazuichi   
always ended up distracted by a cute girl who always came to get coffee and hang out there. Apparently she was in his class, but Hajime didn’t believe him since she never once exchanged a greeting with the mechanic. He’d check it out himself, but reserve course students weren’t allowed on the main campus. 

Oh well. He’d one day get there, once he figured out his talent. In the meantime, he had to push himself through exams and find ways to make money. Helping a fellow student out was easy, especially for so much money.

He walked back to class through the monochrome halls. As he passed by the same, boring faces as usual, he couldn’t help but wonder which one was the person with the flyer. His first instinct was to check out the girls walking around. However, after some thought, he decided the person was likely a guy. No girl would put their phone number out in the middle of school, right? Then again, the flyer was outside the boy’s locker room in a pretty secluded area… 

Hajime stopped his eyes from scanning over his other male classmates as he got to his classroom and took his seat near the window. He’d see after school. 

He received a message the moment he left school. It was the flyer person. He didn’t even need to look at his phone, already aware that none of his few friends would be texting him that day. They all seemed to be busy lately, which wasn’t a big deal. Hajime had something to do too. 

[3:20] Flyer: Hey, I’m going to be running a little late. By an hour. Maybe. Is that okay?

[3:24] Hajime: Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll see you then.

He sighed and once he reached the school gates, he turned to start heading home. It wasn’t too far, maybe a twenty minute walk. The coffee shop was only a seven minute walk away, he could afford to drop off his school things and change into something other than his suit. 

The walk home was peaceful. It was a sunny day outside, so that meant there were many families with children bustling around. It was amusing to watch the children scamper around like wild beasts as there sleep deprived mothers begged them to hold still for a moment. He enjoyed seeing people biking around, taking their time as they zoomed to their next destination. While he wasn’t much of a talker, he did enjoy the atmosphere the city brought. He liked the feeling of togetherness, even if he wasn’t a part of anything and may never see most of these faces again. It was better than walking home down desolate streets to arrive to an empty apartment with only a note to greet him. 

The note was on the door. It was from his mother, reminding him to study and then informing him she won’t be home until late. His father was on another trip, so Hajime couldn’t guess when he’d see him again. 

Refusing to stay in the silent apartment for longer than he needed to, he put his stuff in his room and changed into more breathable black pants, a white button up with short sleeves, and a nice, but colorful tie. He knew he should change his comfortable clothes into something more… comfortable, but he liked the style. For the past two years, all the gifts he’s gotten from his friend Chiaki are soft shirts and jackets. She insisted he had something to wear when lounging, but she didn’t realise how rare it was for him to have that kind of time between odd jobs and late nights at the local library. 

He debated changing into one of the softer fabrics, one’s that had more color than his relatively simple look. However, he thought his tie brought enough color. He didn’t want to look too eccentric. A tie with two tones of green was already a bit adventurous. Smiling to himself, he went to the bathroom and made sure he looked alright. He had seen people do that in movies multiple times. They’d check themselves out, fix a thing or two, then go rushing out the door. 

Hajime didn’t really know what they were looking for, so he settled with standing in front of the mirror for a moment, accepting that he couldn’t change what was shown back, then leaving. He always felt something was off about his reflection, but all his nitpicking in the past never helped. Time for acceptance was for the best. 

As he headed out to go to the coffee shop, he wondered if looks were part of the criteria for the job of going to this person’s family dinner. He wasn’t hideous. He liked to think he looked good enough. He had tan-ish skin that he thought was a pretty nice color, he had brown hair that was short enough to never give him issues with bedhead, and he had heard he had nice eyes. But then again, his social history wasn’t too impressive. He wasn’t sure if that was his looks, personality, or the people around him simply being too different. The last option seemed correct. Being in the reserve course didn’t help his situation when he wasn’t meant to be there. 

He heard a ding as he approached the coffee shop. 

[4:00] Flyer: I just got here. I snagged a table on the left side, the last one by the window. I am wearing a striped vest. 

Hajime tucked his phone away and headed into the shop. He debated going to the counter and getting something, but decided to wait and see who he was meeting before getting something that’d force him to stay longer than he might want. He scanned over the shop, frowning at all the teenagers occupying lots of space. Instead of trying to see over the sea of heads, he just started making his way to the back.

Once he reached the back wall, he turned to look to the last table just five feet away. There sat a male around his age with a green and red striped sweater vest he wouldn’t have been able to see from over the booth unless he was standing at the right angle. The stranger could have just told him to look for a mess of white hair and he would have had better luck. 

He began to make his way over. The teen didn’t spot him yet. He stared out the window with a blissful expression, one elbow helping prop up his hand to rest his chin on. A brown blazer was folded to his side. It resembled the main course uniform Kazuichi always claimed to ‘forget’ to wear to school, except he didn’t remember the sweater vest to be part of the uniform. 

A cup of some steaming drink was sat before the boy as well as an untouched pastry on a small plate. He hoped the boy wasn’t eating because he was waiting for him to arrive before digging in. 

He stumbled to the head of the booth, back straight as an arrow as he looked down at the man. It was only then the other seemed to notice Hajime’s eyes on him. His shoulders tensed a little, eyes wide as he looked to see who was there. A gasp passed his lips, though it was very quiet, upon seeing Hajime there.

His eyes were… really interesting. They looked green, but also grey. His cheeks were pale, giving the dull colors of his eyes a bit more color. However, the color seemed to be drowned out the moment the boy’s cheeks tinted pink. 

Hajime was staring.

“Sorry! Are you, uh, the guy with the flyer?” 

The boy nodded, turning away quickly. He picked up his cup and took a sip of the hot liquid, eyes darting to the window once more. Over the rim of his cup, Hajime could faintly hear the boy ask him to take a seat. He did as instructed. 

“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long. I didn’t realise I was running a little late.” He hoped that wouldn’t bite him in the back later. He supposed this guy would want a punctual friend to be with him for the family dinner. 

“No, you are fine. I just was helping clean up the classroom after a little accident happened.” The boy didn’t put down his mug, holding it close to his face. Hajime noticed that the other avoided his eyes.

“Yeah, I heard how those accidents can be,” He laughed, remembering all the times Soda came running to him after school about how crazy some of his classmates are. He wondered if this kid was in the same class as Kazuichi. “I’m happy you are who you said. I was a little worried some old person hung the paper.”

“I’m glad you are a student as well. This all feels a little too lucky to believe.” The boy smiled a little, placing the cup back down on the table, right above a napkin. He lifted his gaze for a moment, locking eyes with Hajime before the boy was back to shying away from eye contact. He coughed into his sleeve, shoulders curving forward as if blocking out Hajime physically.

Hajime frowned a little. He didn’t feel like he had to worry anymore about not being able to do the job. The boy probably wanted a friend to accompany him to feel less lonely or to get his family off his back. He was awkward, and Hajime could understand that. He did wish that the other could look at him straight however. Once, on a late night, he heard on the TV that those who avoided eye contact were often liars. He hoped this kid was telling the truth, especially about the money.

“I’m Hajime Hinata. I don’t think I told you that earlier.” He gave the other a smile, but he didn’t think the other would notice. 

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Nagito Komaeda. Are you by chance friends with Soda and Nanami?” Nagito folded his hands in his lap. “They are in my class. I think I’ve seen you with them a few times outside of school. You went to the theatre with Soda last week, right?”

Hajime shifted in his seat. An odd detail to remember, but he didn’t really know anything about Nagito. He recalled the amount of times Kazuichi complained about weird people in his class, but he couldn’t remember ever hearing Nagito’s name. “Uh, yeah, I did actually. Were you there to see something?”

“No, I was passing by and heard him screaming about something.” Well, Kazuichi was very loud. Hajime brushed it off with a shrug. “I’m not surprised you don’t remember seeing me. I’m not really anything special. I don’t stick out much in a crowd.”

Hajime found that very hard to believe. “Anyways, about the flyer. You just need someone to come with you for dinner?” 

Nagito nodded. He took another sip of his drink before sending Hajime a smile. It was a nice smile, one that reminded him of how someone would look if acting in a play after receiving a wondrous compliment. “Yes, I can go over the details with you now. But you might want to get something before that, right? Aren’t you thirsty?”

He supposed Nagito was right. He politely excused himself before heading to the front counter. He ordered a black coffee, not interested in adding any weird extra flavors. Once he got his cup, he headed back to his booth side and sat back down. Nagito was texting on his phone, cheeks still pink as he fumbled with his phone, rushing to put it back in his pocket.

“It’s okay, you can finish what you were doing,” Hajime insisted, “I text all the time when with others. You don’t need to worry.”

“Ah, no, it’s fine. I was just looking something up.” Nagito sent him another smile. He fished in his pocket and pulled out a flyer just like the one he had posted around the school. Along with that, he pulled out a pen. “I can write down everything as well to make sure you don’t forget, Hinata-kun. It’s all a bit of a doozy.” 

Hinata-kun? He scratched the back of his neck and nodded. “Go ahead, I’m all ears.”

“Well, I have my aunt and uncle coming over to my place for dinner. Maybe my cousins as well, I’m not sure. It’s important that I show them I am doing well with school and, erm, having someone there would uh…” Nagito’s hand stuttered from writing. Though his head was bowed toward the paper, Hajime would spot his cheeks reddening. He leaned down a little as well, trying to see Nagito better. Maybe meet eyes for reassurance. Something to show that he was being acknowledged. Nagito glanced up and those grey green eyes met his once more. Nagito’s blush was dusted over his cheek bones and the tips of his ears poking from his messy white hair. Hajime wondered if it was dyed. 

“I understand. I got you.” 

Nagito bit his lip, then began to write once more. Hajime slunked back in his seat, not realising how much he had leaned over the table. “I don’t need your help with preparing dinner or anything. Mostly this is just, uh, well, I just need you there to ease their worries.” 

“Sounds simple enough.” Hajime watched Nagito write, noticing how neat his handwriting was. It was pretty. He used little circles above his ‘i’ ‘s and his ‘a’ ‘s looked like cute squiggles that Hajime had no idea how to replicate. “And you said you could pick me up and drop me off?”

“Yeah, that’s not a problem at all!” Nagito replied. “Just wear nice clothes and make small talk, I think I can handle or help you with the rest of it.”

He looked up, examining Hajime’s clothes. Hajime expected him to say something quickly about wearing a bit nicer clothes or possibly just wearing something similar, but instead the other was quiet for a minute. Finally, he blinked and his blush glowed once more. “S-Sorry, lost in thought! Something like what you are wearing right now is fine!” 

Hajime gave him an uncertain smile. “Alright, sounds good to me.”

Nagito folded the flyer and handed it over to Hajime. Their fingertips brushed for a moment, but the second it registered in Hajime’s brain, Nagito jerked his hand away. Hajime chuckled to play off the other’s nervous tension and tucked the paper away.

“Are you nervous? I guess this is a weird situation,” Hajime mumbled, “but you don’t have to worry. I’m sure everything will turn out okay for your family. Besides, I’m going to be helping you out, right?”

“I… suppose I shouldn’t be behaving like this. It’s irrational since you will be with me, Hinata-kun,” Nagito agreed, “I hope you are right about that. My family can be a little… judgemental, but they mean no harm.”

Hajime shrugged. “I can handle that. My family can be a little rigid too. I’m sure we will be fine.”

Nagito nodded, his smile remaining as he pressed a hand over his heart. “I’ll trust you on that. Thank you.”

It was a week until Christmas. Hajime had never celebrated Christmas before, but Nagito’s family did. Hajime supposed his parents were too busy to ever celebrate, which he didn’t mind. He didn’t think he could handle the apartment filled with bright decorations everywhere like the photos Nagito had been sending him since they met at the coffee shop. 

It was only three days ago, but over text messages, Nagito seemed a lot more open than in person. Over the weekend, Nagito documented his adventures in decorating his house through pictures and videos to Hajime as he worked on his homework. He asked if Hajime wanted to come help him with the fake tree he needed to get ready and decorate, but Hajime responded with a picture of the stack of work he still had to complete.

[4:58] Nagito Komaeda: woah, I didn’t realise they even assigned that much homework. My class never gets that much

[5:10] Hajime Hinata: Lucky you, this is a typical weekend for my class. The teachers are pretty firm about us getting it all in on time too.

[5:11] Nagito Komaeda: ;( 

[5:11] Nagito Komaeda: If you get done sooner than you expect, did you want to hang out…?

[5:11] Nagito Komaeda: Sorry if that seems so forward!

[5:11] Nagito Komaeda: It just might make xmas easier

[5:11] Nagito Komaeda: If we spend time with each other beforehand.

[5:12] Nagito Komaeda: I still need to make cookies if you’d want to do something like that?

[5:12] Nagito Komaeda: That new movie came out recently. The buddy cop one? Would you want to see that?

[5:12] Nagito Komaeda: Or we could get dinner together. It is getting a little late. Study break?

[5:39] Hajime Hinata: It’s too early to take a study break. And I really have to get this work done. Maybe if I have time later? I’m not sure. 

[5:41] Nagito Komaeda: If you need help, I can help you study. I’m really good with english. I’ve also been told I’m a good motivator ^^~*

[6:13] Hajime Hinata: It’s mostly math. I’ll be fine, but I’m going to go now so I can work.

[6:14] Nagito Komaeda: Good luck Hinata-kun! 

Hajime tossed his phone to his bed and sighed, looking at the mountain of his work. He had really debated taking Nagito up on his offer to do something fun, but he knew that if he got all his work done in time, he’d have a homework-free winter break. He needed time to unwind. He’d maybe spend a day with Nagito just to clear up any last jitters the other still had. By his texts, Hajime could sense the others uncertainty. Nagito must really be worried about what type of person he is inviting to meet his family. 

A few hours later, he stood from his desk. His back cracked uncomfortably as he stumbled to his bed and flopped down. His hand searched aimlessly until he found his phone. He clicked it on to see three missed messages from Nagito and one from Kazuichi. He noticed the first word of Kazuichi’s text being ‘Sonia’ and immediately skipped over it to see what Nagito sent instead. 

It was weird having someone text him as much as Nagito did, but not unwelcome. It, pathetically, made him feel a little less alone. His two friends from his old school rarely called anymore. Kazuichi only talked about girl trouble, which was hard to talk to him about since neither of them ever had any experience with girls. Then there was Chiaki, but she never messaged him. They just managed to keep crossing paths and hanging out together. Sometimes she’d tell him to meet her somewhere the following day, other times he’d eat at the fountain at lunch and hope that she managed to get there without falling asleep on the way. 

[6:30] Nagito Komaeda: I hope you are studying hard still! I am making cookies now. Do you have any favorites?

[8:10] Nagito Komaeda: I might be making a bit more than I thought I was… 

[8:15] Nagito Komaeda: I think my class would like if I brought some in… Would you like some? I can prepare a tin for your family. 

[8:26] Hajime Hinata: I like sugar cookies. And that’d be cool, but you don’t need to. 

[8:30] Nagito Komaeda: It’s no problem at all! I’d love to make you a bundle. I’ll make sure to add lots of sugar cookies for you ^^

Hajime smiled tiredly at his phone. Tucking his phone under his pillow, he closed his eyes. He finished the majority of the word he had to do. Most of it was easy since he just went over it in class, but he could wait to do the rest tomorrow once he got a glass of orange juice in his hand and a fresh bagel down his throat. 

As he drifted to sleep, he couldn’t help but think that no one had ever made him cookies before. 

When he woke up, he was greeted to one last message Nagito sent last night. He smiled as he opened his messages to see a picture of some of the cookies Nagito decorated There were tons, a lot more than Hajime could think one could accidentally make. He glanced back to the focus of the picture, seeing there was a few sugar cookies decorated. One looked like him and another looked like Nagito. He furrowed his eyebrows. 

“He must have had quite a bit of time…” Hajime looked over the photo and untensed when he spotted a poorly made human shaped one with pink hair. He must have made one of everyone in his class. Then… He guessed that Nagito was just really bored to make one of Hajime. 

[7:46] Hajime Hinata: Looks like you did a lot last night. They look good.

With that said, he headed off to go get his orange juice to truly start his morning. Yawning, he opened the fridge and jutted his hand out, waiting to feel the familiar bottle of orange juice in his palm. His eyes shot open when he noticed there was only air. 

He leaned down, gasping out loud when he saw his orange juice was no longer in the fridge. He could have sworn he didn’t need to buy more. His mother must have drank the rest, even though he had labelled it with his name. Nothing was sacred in this household, he thought bitterly. Nothing. 

Hajime began to head back to his room in defeat when he got another text.

[7:52] Nagito Komaeda: Good morning Hinata-kun! 

[7:52] Hajime Hinata: Morning. 

[7:53] Nagito Komaeda: Did you sleep well?

[7:54] Hajime Hinata: I slept okay. Someone drank my orange juice though, so I gotta go out and get more -.-

[7:55] Nagito Komaeda: :/ That’s not too lucky. I haven’t eaten yet either. Do you want to get breakfast with me? There’s a nice breakfast nook near the coffee place we were out last. They have really good bagels. 

Hajime’s stomach grumbled at the thought. His homework beckoned him, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to focus on an empty stomach. 

[7:56] Hajime Hinata: That’d be great. How far from the coffee shop? I don’t live far from there, maybe ten minutes.

[7:57] Nagito Komaeda: I can meet you there. It’s a little confusing getting to the restaurant so I can guide us. I’ll meet you in twenty then!

Hajime put his phone away and quickly changed into fresh clothes. Black pants, as usual, then one of the grey cotton shirts Chiaki bought him. On top of it, he put on a navy blue button up. It felt nice to not have a tie tight around his neck for once. He forced his worn shoes on before stumbling out of his house. As he walked, he decided to respond to Kazuichi’s message about Sonia. His advice was the same as always: to maybe move his fixation to a girl who wasn’t in a relationship. He also added a quick message to satiate his own curiosity. It wasn’t too detailed. Just a simple one asking if he was friends with Nagito. If he could learn a bit more about the one he was supposed to be helping, then it’d make the process a lot easier. 

He smiled when he saw Nagito waiting for him outside the coffee shop. He seemed to be staring off into space, a peaceful smile on his face as he rocked back and forth on his heels. He spotted Hajime faster than the first time, turning to his direction to wave. Hajime jogged to hurry over, returning the wave and smile. 

“Good morning,” He greeted, coming to a stop by Nagito. 

“Good morning to you too, Hinata-kun,” Nagito smiled. Hajime couldn’t help but notice the other met his eyes, all traces of shyness gone from a few days ago. Nagito seemed to be standing tall, eyes warmly staring into his and his smile was dazzling. Before Hajime could say anything else, he felt a warmth in his hand and Nagito turned away, heading off to the breakfast place. He was tugged as Nagito walked, and he then realised Nagito had taken his hand. 

He stared down at their linked hands before holding his in return to ease the discomfort of being tugged. 

To his confusion, the restaurant wasn’t hard to find from the coffee shop. He had thought maybe Nagito wanted to make sure they didn’t get separated and that Hajime didn’t get lost, but the streets were uncrowded. Either way, he was thankful when Nagito dropped his hand and held the door open for him. He gave his peer a nod before walking into the sweet smelling establishment. 

They were sat in a booth away from the windows, tucked in a quiet corner. Hajime ordered an orange juice right away, eager to wake himself up. 

“So!” Nagito smiled, taking a sip of his ice water. “How was studying last night? You look a little tired. You must have been working hard.”

“I guess. It took awhile but I did a lot more than I expected.” Hajime set his glass of orange juice down, a pleased smile settled on his lips after getting his favorite drink into his system. “I’m happy I decided to go out with you, the walk here really helped soothe my back pain. I really need to keep my posture in check when working.” 

Nagito’s eyes widened a fraction. A small pink blush dusted his cheeks as he reached up to tuck a piece of hair behind his ear. “I’m happy you went out with me today too, Hinata-kun… Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It will help you focus better once you’ve had your stomach filled.” 

“Yeah, I never like skipping breakfast,” Hajime admitted as the waiter came back around to get their food orders. They both got the same order, then were left alone once more. 

Nagito folded his hands above the table. “It’s kinda funny we go to the same school and I haven’t seen you around much. I might have seen you once or twice in the hallway… Maybe at the cultural festival?”

“I tend to stay in my classes unless it’s lunch.” 

“I should visit you in class sometime! I don’t look around the school much either, if I’m being honest. Maybe we could explore it together.” Nagito sent him a smile. Hajime smiled back at the thought of Nagito coming to the reserve building to see him. Sure, they weren’t really friends like he was with Chiaki and Kazuichi, but neither of them ever visited him in class. It warmed his heart that Nagito was willing to walk all that way, but he didn’t want to agree when he couldn’t even go onto Hope’s Peaks main course grounds to return the sentiment.

“After winter break is done, we could both get lunch together instead? I like eating outside near the fountain, if you ever want to take me up on that offer.” That was safer. The fountain was a little out of the way, not directly between the schools, but it was equal distance. He hoped Nagito would find that a good alternative. 

“... Oh!” Nagito nodded along. “That’d be wonderful! I’d love to eat with you, Hinata-kun! And then I could walk you back to class. Are you in class A?”

Hajime froze. Though he was alarmed for a moment, he realised how silly it was. It was a good guess. Besides, he hadn’t seen Nagito anywhere near the reserve course building. “I am in A, lucky guess.”

“Of course,” Nagito agreed, “I haven’t went over to meet that class. I guess that’s how I missed you.”

He went over to the reserve building to introduce himself? Hajime was about to ask him a few more questions, but then their plates of food were set in front of them. They thanked the waiter and then began to dig into their food. Halfway through the meal, Hajime checked his phone to see he had gotten a message back from Kazuichi. 

[8:43] Kazuichi Soda: Nagito??? He’s fucking weird. And creepy. 

Fair. Hajime rolled his eyes and set his fork down to respond.

[8:45] Hajime Hinata: I’m helping him out with something and I thought you two were friends. 

[8:48] Kazuichi Soda: Not even if you paid me bro. Call me if anything happens. He’s the ‘Ultimate Lucky’ student and trust me when I say I have no clue how that kid is still alive. He makes you believe in luck like its a deity just because the weird shit that goes on around him.

[8:50] Kazuichi Soda: I’m surprised he came to you for help. He has…

[8:51] Kazuichi Soda: Very strong opinions about…

[8:52] Kazuichi Soda: ……… Nevermind, trying to figure that guy out is impossible. Have fun, don’t die, text me about it later. 

“Does your family let you be on your phone at the table?” 

Hajime jumped and looked over to Nagito who was absentmindedly picking at his eyes with a small smile. It seemed like his default expression, something neutral despite how friendly and nice it looked. He put his phone away and gave the other a chuckle. 

“I don’t eat with my family, so I don’t know.” He shoved a forkful of hashbrowns in his mouth.

“Me neither,” Nagito hummed.

Hajime noticed that Nagito hadn’t done much to make a dent in his food. He mostly just pushed it around his plate a lot. He hoped Nagito didn’t invite him out to eat when he himself wasn’t hungry. He really didn’t want to be wasting his time, even if the main course didn’t get a lot of homework like he originally expected. 

“So, you are the Ultimate Lucky student?” He asked, leaning forward in his seat. “I’ve heard about that. You got drawn from a lottery, right?”

Nagito’s cheeks turned pink as he bowed his head to the table, staring down at his plate. “Y-You know about that? I’m a little embarrassed, I don’t even know your… No, uh, nevermind! I’m happy you knew and were interested enough to remember it about me!”

He reached up and took a strand of hair between his fingers, twirling it with a deep blush across his cheeks. “

I-It’s not really much of an Ultimate, I know. It’s kind of embarrassing to be acting as an Ultimate when I truly couldn’t hold a candle to my peers greatness. I’m certain any talent is better than my own. Bad and good luck? That’s not a skill. Ha, but it’s to be expected from a guy like me to be so worthless to have such an arbitrary talent such as luck!”

The way he talked was normal, perhaps with a little bit more passion than usual, but it didn’t hint that his words sounded so bitter and hateful toward himself. Hajime didn’t expect him to have such strong negative opinions on his own talent. Sure, it was the luck of the draw, but he was in the Hope’s Peak main course! The place Hajime had been dying to get into since he could speak!

“Hey.” Hajime waved his hand to the other. “It’s always better than no talent, right? You know what they say about Hope’s Peak- If you get in, you are set for life.”

Nagito glanced up at him and studied his expression. Slowly, Nagito’s small smile disappeared and was replaced with a small frown, eyes narrowed slightly in a quizzical way. Hajime didn’t like this shift either, but he swallowed down the nervousness that he suddenly felt. Why was he being looked at? He only stated the truth.

Finally, Nagito let out a little laugh. “It’s interesting that you thought of that! That type of thinking is rather… Nevermind.”

Hajime felt his eyebrow twitch. “I mean, to each his own. A talent is a talent. It means that you stand out from everyone else. Even if it is luck, isn’t it still a blessing all the same? You aren’t giving yourself enough credit.”

“It can be,” Nagito replied tugging on a strand of his hair, “when I’m on good luck streaks like right now.”

Nagito bit his lip and then let out a little laugh. His half-lidded gaze met Hajime’s with quirked lips. “If I knew better, I’d be certain you were the Ultimate flatterer at this point.”

His cheeks stained pink at the accusation, realising what he said could have been taken the way Nagito teasingly suggested. Luckily, Nagito didn’t proceed to hound him like Kazuichi would if he had a serious moment with him. He hated being honest with Kazuichi only to be mocked for having feelings or not saying his words right, especially with the word ‘gay’. Annoyingly, that was his main insult despite Hajime never giving him reason to believe it. Maybe it was because he didn’t scream ‘no homo’ when Kazuichi gave him a fist bump even when his friend did. 

He scrapped the rest of the food off his plate and into his mouth. “I should be heading back to do my work.”

His peer nodded and stood up. He went through his wallet and pulled out an odd number of bills before tossing them onto the table. “I invited you out so I can pay.”

Hajime noticed the top bill being a twenty and knew their waitress was going to have a great day. He slipped from his side of the booth, but accidentally knocked Nagito’s cup off the table right as the other was climbing out of their seat. He reached out his arms pathetically, but he didn’t move to catch the cup that had already fallen to the floor. 

Nagito’s clothes were dry, but it didn’t stop an accident from occurring. He slipped over the water slick cup and tripped forward, colliding straight into Hajime’s open arms. Hajime felt the wall against his back as he wrapped his arms around Nagito, stopping their descent as much as he could with the minimum amount of damage. 

He heard a soft gasp buried against his chest the moment time seemed to still once more. He could feel the bones jutting from under Nagito’s coat from lack of muscle in certain areas, and he loosened his grip when Nagito raised his head, dull green eyes shining up into his. Hajime felt something creeping up his sides when he saw the other’s pink cheeks and doe eyes and his pale lips parted enough to let out another gasp, shaky from the fall. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, slowly maneuvering them both back to their feet before easing a step away. One hand remained on Nagito’s shoulder to ensure he wouldn’t turn and trip right again on the same cup.

“I’m fine, thank you.” Nagito gave him a small and recoiled. “Let’s just, uh, go pay.”

Christmas day came sooner than he expected. As per usual, no decorations or gifts filled his apartment. He ran into Nagito while getting groceries just the other day. He was towing a wagon down the street with a list in his hand of names. Inside the wagon was small boxes of cookies. Hajime laughed the moment Nagito saw him, his eyes growing huge before he rushed over. 

“Hinata-kun!” He stopped the cart and then went to begin rummaging through it. He looked warm in the jacket he wore, mittens sticking from the pocket. “I brought your cookies just in case I ran into you! This makes up for the fire earlier today by a long shot!”

The what? Hajime didn’t have time to get a word in edgewise before a big tin of cookies was thrusted toward him. He took it, holding it awkwardly in his hands. It felt oddly heavy. Nagito gave him a smile and reached forward, undoing the lid and taking a sugar cookie out from the top. It was shaped like a star and was a pale yellow with pink sprinkles. He examined the cookie for a moment before holding it up to Hajime’s lips. 

“Say Ah!” 

Hajime stared at him in shock before opening his lips, letting a spike of the star pass into his mouth before biting down. It tasted better than he expected. Nagito seemed to notice, hiding his smile behind his sleeve as he closed the box and held out another part for Hajime. This time, he immediately took the bite before arranging the box to rest in one arm against his hip. He held out his cookie and Nagito handed it over. 

“Does it taste good? I used a recipe I found in an old book.” 

“Have you tried them yet? It’s freakin’ delicious.” He swallowed the rest of his bite, loving the taste of sugar still coating his tongue. He could only imagine how delicious it would have been straight out of the oven. It would have been softer and the frosting would ooze. That being said, it was still the best cookie he ever had.

“I haven’t yet, actually. May I?” Nagito tilted his head.

Hajime looked to the big box of cookies. If he was left alone with his box, like he was soon going to be, he was going to gain so much weight in the span of one day. “I don’t see why not. Go ahead.”

However, instead of opening up the box once more, Nagito leaned forward and took a bite from the star cookie. He hummed at the taste and pulled away, licking some frosting scraps on his lips. Hajime staggered back a step, looking down at the star missing another point. Before he could speak, Nagito pushed Hajime’s hand up to his lips. He, still dazed and confused from the other’s suddenness, took another bite of the cookie with owlish eyes. 

“Mm, I think that flavor is my new favorite.” Nagito giggled, picking up his wagon handle. “I’ll see you soon.”

Hajime sighed as he recalled the memory, shoving another cookie in his mouth. They still tasted as good as the first star that he ended up sharing with Nagito. He shouldn’t have been eating the cookies for breakfast, but it was almost 1 in the afternoon since he slept in for such a long period of time. He had about an hour before Nagito’s parents were picking him up, so he had time to brush his teeth, comb through his hair and get dressed. He debated on taking a shower, but didn’t want to have wet hair when he met Nagito’s family, so he instead sprayed a lot of cologne on his tan skin. 

He snacked on a cookie as he chose a shirt to wear. He opted for a simple dull green shirt and black pants, deciding it was best to not be too out there. As he tied his shoes, he wondered what Nagito’s family was like. 

A text came in a little while later.

[1:45] Nagito Komaeda: I’ll be there shortly! White car, at the front of your building.

[1:50] Hajime Hinata: Alright, see you soon.

He pulled himself up and turned off the lights to the apartment. The silence was eerie, but at least he’d be spending the holidays in the company of a family. He had gotten a text from his parents wishing him a merry christmas, but he didn’t return the sentiment yet. After all, it wasn’t too long ago that he woke up and dragged himself from his bed.

Outside, as expected, was a white car. Nagito stood outside the back seat and smiled when he saw Hajime jog over to greet him. He held open the door for Hajime and closed it behind him before making his way to his own side. In the front drivers side was a man with dark hair and a cap. He had pinkish skin and glasses rested on the bridge of his nose. 

“Okay, then the last stop is home, Kobayashi,” Nagito told the driver. The man nodded and pulled onto the road once more. Hajime glanced between them, confused, but dropped it when he felt Nagito reach forward and place a hand onto his knee. 

“Thank you so much for agreeing to help me out. I know this situation is a little uh… strange, but I am really grateful.”

Hajime just imagined the cash he’d have at the end of the night. He already made a list of essentials in his head, then intended to save the rest of it. Maybe see if Nagito needed another small job done so he could save money up to help with his tuition later on. 

“It’s nothing.” His eyes roamed Nagito’s attire. It was a long sleeved red shirt and slacks along with a bright, holiday patterned bow tie that looked a little ridiculous and a little cute. He reminded Hajime of an eight year old being dolled up for his first choir concert at his school. “It’s not like I had much else to do today. I hope this works out, but just tell me if you ever need anything, okay?”

“I know with you there everything will work out perfectly.” Nagito breathed out a sigh of relief. “I’m very happy that you were the one who responded to my call for help. You have so much time you could have used to hone your skills or create hope in the world, but you instead choose to spend time with someone like me! I just hope that… Ah…”

Nagito bowed his head down, hands balled in his lap. He bit his bottom lip, eyes shifting to look toward his car side window. “I hope that after this we can… m-make this real… I know it is selfish of me to push such a thing. I know how obnoxious that suggestion is- to be close to someone like me, but… it’s a thought. I want to see you grow and I want to see how your hope will shine in the end. It’d love to see it, Hinata-kun.”

Hajime didn’t quite understand any of what he was saying, but he reached out and patted Nagito’s back. It was certainly a long winded way of asking for a friendship after this job was said and done. “I mean, sure. I’d like that too.”

Nagito glanced up at him with a smile.

Hajime took off his shoes at the front step of the house. It was large. It had to be bigger than his tiny apartment by at least five times, probably even more, but he really didn’t want to think about how pathetic he seemed after Nagito picked him up from a shit hole. He hadn’t realised Nagito’s parents were absolutely loaded, but he was confused when he saw Nagito guide him to where he put the shoes and there was none there besides theirs. Soft christmas music played from deep in the otherwise quiet house. 

“My aunt and uncle will be here within the hour. If you’d like, I can make you some hot chocolate or a snack, but otherwise I should make sure dinner is all ready.” 

“I’m good. Is there anything I can help with?” 

Nagito gave him a smile. “No, I should be fine. You can relax in the living room if you want and watch TV. I’ll join you when I can.”

Alright. Hajime nodded and watched Nagito walk off into the dark hallways, not bothering to turn on the lights as he moved. Hajime decided to just duck into the first room and pray that it was where Nagito wanted him to be. To his luck, the room contained a beautifully decorated tree and a wide flat screen tv. It was relatively empty besides a small pile of gifts beneath the tree, a sofa, book shelves and… Hajime squinted his eyes as he spotted something in a corner. He had seen them before, but only in relative’s houses. He quietly approached the butsudan, slightly cracked open. With a pale hand, he reached forward and opened one of the doors to see a photo of two people smiling up at him. It didn’t take a genius to see the resemblance between them and Nagito. 

He closed the butsudan and stepped back. He hadn’t noticed it before, but the house felt a little too cold, like a window was left open somewhere nearby. The quiet christmas music sounded sad, a lonely cry for peace wailing through the empty walls devoid of photographs. Even through all the colorful lights and decorations, Hajime sensed desperation he hadn’t anticipated. This job didn’t seem as cut and dry anymore. 

“Hajime, the remote should be on the TV stand. Please ask if you need any help!” Nagito called from what he believed was the kitchen. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he thought of when he was trying to rush his homework and Nagito kept texting and sending pictures of him setting up the house. He could only imagine wandering around the quiet home, decorating for a holiday that never sat right in his bones, and the person he was trying to reach out to was more focussed on their math homework than contacting him in return. He imagined Nagito smiling to himself as he decorated the Hajime cookie before sending a picture, hoping it’d make the studious reserve course student smile. He also pictured the quiet as Nagito stood at the counter, icing in hand as he stared down at his phone, waiting for his message to send. Standing there, holding his smile straight as he waited for a ding that didn’t come.

Hajime turned on a random Christmas show. He flopped onto the couch, but he couldn’t focus on whatever black and white shit was on the TV. His mind felt groggy and depressed as he stared off. Eventually, his gaze wandered to the tree. There sat five presents. He felt a lump in his throat as he thought of how rude it had been for him to not bring a present for Nagito. He hadn’t asked him to, but he should have known enough to do it. When was the last time Nagito received a gift? Did his uncle and aunt come over every holiday? Did Nagito truly live alone in this big house all by himself?

Suddenly, the five hundred dollars in his near future seemed less appealing. 

“Everything is looking good.” Nagito entered the room with a smile. He balanced two cookies in one of his hand and a glass of milk in the other as he took a seat by Hajime and held out the glass. “They should be here anytime.”

Hajime took the glass. The cool chill of the milk felt like nothingness in his hands when he thought of the cold Nagito must have felt all the time in the house. He hesitantly reached over and grabbed a throw blanket, propping it up on their shoulders. It dipped in the center since they sat only a foot apart, if not less. 

Nagito held out a cookie to him and he accepted it. His stomach felt heavy and he wasn’t quite certain if it was wiser to deny food or shove the whole thing down his throat to preoccupy his thoughts with something else. 

“You look nervous, Hinata-kun. Are you… thinking of backing out already?” Hajime tensed as Nagito let out a dry laugh, hollow. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to having guests, and I don’t know if I’m being the greatest host. Please excuse me if I did something wrong. Only I could mess up having someone over for less than an hour and making them already want to book it.”

“That’s not-... I’m not nervous. Not really.” Hajime wasn’t sure if bringing up the altar was a good idea. The last thing he needed was Nagito’s family walking in on him balling his eyes out with Hajime trying, and failing, to comfort his quivering form. 

“That’s good,” Nagito replied softly, nibbling on his cookie, “because I really don’t think I’d be able to go through this dinner without you.”

Hajime wished Nagito didn’t ever have to go through dinners alone. His always felt empty with his parents always gone, but he couldn’t imagine making his dinner every night, preparing one plate, eating, and then cleaning up all alone. No one to hear the sound of a lone fork scraping up the last bits of eggs. No one to wince at the screech emitted when he pushed his chair out to get up once more, stomach full. 

“Just leave it to me. I’ll make this dinner as easy for us as possible, but I need you to just assist me here and there.”

He felt Nagito rest his head on his shoulder, turning his attention to the movie as he finished his cookie. Hajime allowed him to stay there, and was even beginning to doze off himself, but suddenly there was a knock at the door and Nagito was on his feet in seconds. He threw Hajime one last look before heading straight to the front door. Hajime could barely hear Nagito under all the noise.

“Auntie! Oh, welcome Yuu! Uh, please you can leave your shoes over…. I have dinner already… Please make yourselves at home!” Hajime strained to hear him over the ruckus as a family bustling with life and yells tumbled in. He stood up to meet them by the door to the room he was in, getting an eyeful of the small, chubby woman, an older man, and two children around late elementary school age. The kids rushed past him into the house, screaming something incomprehensible. Hajime turned back to look at the others, noticing the aunt and uncle were scrutinizing every detail of the foyer as Nagito knelt down to put the shoes in their proper place instead of being thrown around like they were. Even so, his peaceful smile didn’t fade. 

“And who is this?” The aunt asked as she glared down at Hajime like he was a new structure of the house.

“Auntie, didn’t I tell you over the phone? This is Hajime Hinata.” Nagito took his place by Hajime’s side, one arm coming to wrap around Hajime’s. “He’s my boyfriend.”

Hajime’s mind went blank.

“Oh, yes, you did mention that a few days ago, didn’t you…” His aunt walked past them with his uncle following close behind. Once they were out of sight, Hajime pushed Nagito back, eyes wide.

“Your what?”

“What?” Nagito tilted his head to the side. He worriedly glanced to the door and then back to Hajime. “Please keep your voice down, I don’t want them to think we are fighting.”

“Y-You didn’t say anything about being fake boyfriends!” Hajime protested, cheeks turning red as he was met with a confused stare.

“What did… What did you think the ad meant? I needed a pretend date for my family dinner.” 

Hajime flailed his arms in an attempt to keep his voice quiet by showing his emotional spur in a physical way. “It never said anything about being your boyfriend! I’m not even gay!”

He didn’t like the look Nagito gave him, all raised eyebrows and wide eyes, as if challenging him quietly. He watched Nagito’s eyes rake over his body once before he blinked and they changed their sights to the side. “I find that very hard to believe. I wrote the note with my intentions stated clearly. It said, ‘I’m looking for a student to come with me to a family dinner as my date. Males only please. No piercings, tattoos or vulgar language. I am willing to do pick up and drop off. You will be getting dinner and a present. Bonus points if you have an Ultimate talent you can use for entertainment if needed, but still, any and all Ultimates are welcome! Text me if you are interested before December 18th, please!’. Or something along those lines.”

Hajime’s eyebrows furrowed. “That’s… not the flyer I saw. What did yours look like?”

Nagito’s eyebrow twitched as he shook his head and pulled out his phone. After a minute, he faced the screen toward Hajime to find a completely different looking poster from what he had seen. It was green with reds, but most importantly it wasn’t as bland and sketchy as the one Hajime had seen. 

“This poster isn’t the one I saw… Is it possible someone was messing with you-”

“Nagito dear, did you prepare dinner all by yourself?”

“Mommm! I’m hungry!”

Swallowing dryly, Nagito sent Hajime a look before heading to the kitchen. “Let’s talk about this soon, but not right now. Please bear with me.”

Hajime managed to keep himself from rushing out and followed Nagito awkwardly to help him get dinner going. He loaded up his plate and then helped pour drinks for everyone as he heard Nagito continuously spilling lies to appease his aunt and uncle.

“It’s such a large house for one boy! You really should leave this place to us.”

“I am fine here, and Hajime is always staying over and helping me with chores. There’s no need for that.”

“You haven’t been too stressed, have you? Have you been eating right and getting all your nutrients?”

“Hajime and I always make our meals together in advance and they are all well balanced, isn’t that right sweetie?”

“Our heater just broke down again in our house, can you believe it? Money doesn’t grow on trees and I’m sick of having to harvest for this shitty system. I guess that doesn’t apply to those who are very lucky. If only I had that kind of luck…”

“Yes, it’s a shame.”

“... How far are you with your earnings? Are you still saving up? You surely have more than enough to be fine on your own. You should start using your money for charity or, I don’t know, maybe-”

“Hajime!” Nagito exclaimed. Hajime jumped, fearful to be talked to directly in the awkward back and forth the two were having. Even the two kids weren’t invested in the conversation, instead playing a fighting game on their phone. The uncle just ate as though he was completely alone “Why don’t you tell them about yourself?”

Nagito’s smile seemed to be cracking at the seams. He turned to the disapproving aunt and grinned as realistically as he could, though it likely was a scowl. “It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you. I’m Hajime Hinata, I go-”

“To Hope’s Peak main course , I’m aware. My nephew told me over the phone.” Hajime paused. Slowly, he turned to see Nagito hadn’t dropped his expression in the slightest and at that moment Hajime knew just how not on the same page they both were. 

“He is! He’s in class A, so it took us a while to meet.” Hajime paled. He did say he was in class A before, but he assumed Nagito understood he was a part of the reserve course. This wasn’t good. “Hajime, why don’t you tell us about your Ultima-”

“Actually, I have a better idea!” Hajime blurted, dropping his fork on his plate. Nagito jumped at the clatter, which Hajime tried to ease over with an uncertain laugh. “I, uh, just remembered that I… have a funny joke I wanted to share!” 

The kids perked up at that. “Tell it! Tell it!”

Fuck. Oh well.

“What’s a Christmas tree’s favorite candy?” The room was so silent, one could hear a pin drop. “Orna-mints!”

He felt as though hundreds of eyes were locked on him. A cold sweat broke down on his forehead as he stared into the disappointed eyes of his fake date’s family. Even the kids lost all that holiday joy that glinted in their eyes upon hearing the horrid pun escape his lips. He wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole. 

“He’s not the Ultimate joke teller,” Nagito explained quietly as he took a bite of his food, unable to mean Hajime’s eyes.

“I… I can see that,” His uncle finally muttered, shaking his head. The rest of the dinner was quiet, which made Hajime a little more relaxed than before, so long as he avoided the judgemental looks he received from Nagito’s family as he ate.

He helped Nagito wash dishes and put away food as the family started making a ruckus in the living room. He was just finished scrubbing a dish when Nagito reached over and plopped another bowl into the sink, coming too close for coincidence as he did so. 

“About the flyer,” Hajime began, “I don’t know why, but I didn’t see the same message as you received.”

“I… figured.” Nagito bowed his head with a sigh. “I guess this turned out to be bad luck in the end, huh?”

“No, it can still be good luck.” Hajime gave him an uneasy smile and nodded his head. “I’m sticking this out because that’s what I promised. Besides, I can handle having a few flirts or nicknames here and there, so long as you are still okay with me after my flop at dinner.”

One of Nagito’s real smiles made it’s way onto his cheeks, though he tried to hide it with his sleeve. He glanced to Hajime and shuffled forward enough to bump him lightly. “It was kind of cute, in a really bad, never-say-that-again kind of way.”

Hajime rolled his eyes and nudged him back. “It was a good joke!”

Nagito giggled and shook his hair, white hair bouncing with each small jut of his shoulders. Once he calmed down, he smiled to Hajime, eyes searching his for a brief moment before he reached out and took Hajime’s hand in his own. He was met with no resistance. Biting his bottom lip, Nagito gave him another tentative smile. 

“I know this situation is weird, but I know this happened for a reason. Luck has led to this moment, right?” Nagito laughed. “So we just have to wait a little longer to figure this out. Even if things have changed a little, it doesn’t change that i-it’s you who replied to the ad. Or that you decided to help scum like me. Or that your ultimate, whatever it is, it is a beacon of hope.”

Hajime tensed and took his hand back to scratch at the back of his neck. “About that, I found the ad at-”

“C’mon, we can’t leave them waiting for long.” Nagito grabbed his hand back and began tugging him to the living room.

“No, Nagito, we probably should talk this out a bit more. I think you are still confused-” It didn’t stop his persistent tugging. “I’m actually from the- Nagito, stop it, please! Just another minute!” 

The loudness of the family was beginning to pound in Hajime’s ears as they neared the room. Either that, or the blood rushing to his ears. Nagito kept reassuring him everything was fine, but he needed to prevent any more embarrassing moments for himself. He needed to clear up the talent thing so Nagito wouldn’t bring it up again and learn the hard way that Hajime was only an idiot who shouldn’t have replied to a shady ad. 

“I’m a reserve course student.”

Nagito stopped dead in his tracks. He turned in the doorway like a deer in headlights. He was suddenly as pale as a ghost, and Hajime could tell he was in a similar state. The clenching around his hand had him wincing, but he didn’t pull away. 

“Ohhh! Nagito is under the mistletoe with Hiyumi!” A child shouted. Everyone looked their way, and Hajime was certain that with all the eyes on them that Nagito wasn’t about to slap him. He looked very close to. It… made sense. Main course students usually looked down on reserve course students, refusing to acknowledge them. It wouldn’t have surprised him if someone played a prank on Nagito, then stuck the poster up in the reserve course building with a piece of blue chewing gum. 

“Kiss him! Kiss him!” The other kid chanted, bouncing up and down with sadistic glee, like he knew how bad of an idea it was. Still, Nagito didn’t move, as though he turned to stone. Hajime glanced toward the aunt on the couch and noticed her expression toward Nagito. It wasn’t pleasant. It was a scowl, twisted and calculating, as though she was seeing through their already shitty rouse. 

Fuck it, Hajime thought. He stepped forward and grabbed Nagito’s chin. He lifted it and then firmly placed his lips on Nagito’s. It was a closed mouth, still kiss, but it still sent his heart racing as he waited for the blow. It never came.

He opened his eyes for a split second to see Nagito’s flutter closed, a hand reaching up to settling on his shoulder for balance. He could hear a child make a noise of disgust before he felt Nagito’s lips move against his for a split second before pulling away. He allowed the main course student to have his space, red faced and eyes still reflecting back hurt. 

“Please tell me you are joking.”

Hajime bowed his head, fists trembling at his sides.

The next day back at school, Hajime wore a green scarf to class. Inside, he had to stick to dress code, but he put it back on once class was done. He had lunch next, and though he hadn’t felt hungry since Christmas, he still intended to eat at the fountain. 

He dug through his new satchel in search for his lunch after he put on the fuzzy scarf. The rest of his Christmas was spent with Nagito at an arm’s length. He received the scarf he was wearing, given the five hundred dollars, taken home, then they exchanged an awkward goodbye. Nagito couldn’t meet his eyes like he used to.

[11:23PM] Kazuichi Soda: Fuck that guy. If he has an issue with something like that, he’s dumb. You may not be the greatest option, but you can do better than someone like that!

Thanks. 

He sighed as he brushed his hand over a small box inside his satchel. He bit his lip as he stared at it, slowly pulling it from his bag. 

A throat cleared above him. 

Hajime jumped, looking up with surprise evident on his features that only grew when he saw an awkward Nagito standing before his desk, fiddling with his own lunch box with an uncomfortable expression on his face. 

“I… didn’t you offer to eat lunch together before?” Nagito shuffled awkwardly in place, a small blush appearing on his ears. “Is that offer still on the table?”

Hajime paused, but then smiled. He pulled the wrapped box and his lunch box out from his satchel before standing up. “Would you like to eat at the fountain?”

“... Yes. I would like that.” Nagito smiled, tilting his head to the side a little. “I’d like that very much.”

**Author's Note:**

> I rushed to get this out before xmas, so the last few pages are Heavy rush but guess what I didn't have a plot I just wrote this out of my ass and yeah it isn't good but at least my mom would maybe be proud of me.
> 
> Edit: nevermind she's upset I spent so much time writing fanfiction. ;-; can I get an f in the chat boyz.


End file.
